


Important questions

by Herodotus



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: Engagement, F/F, Fluff, Letters, Not Canon Compliant, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2020-09-20
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:29:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26568820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Herodotus/pseuds/Herodotus
Summary: Tifa and Aerith are getting married and Tifa needs to find her best friend so he can be there for the occasion.
Relationships: Aerith Gainsborough/Tifa Lockhart, Tifa Lockhart & Cloud Strife
Comments: 1
Kudos: 36





	Important questions

Tifa’s hands were her life, she used them to serve drinks at 7th Heaven and they had been her weapons back when she was travelling the world on the hunt for Sephiroth, no matter what they encountered, her hands were steady as rocks. But not right now, right now she couldn’t seem to stop them from shaking. There was only one person that could make Tifa’s hands shake and send butterflies tumbling around in her stomach, a flower girl with a penchant for pink dresses. 

She was by nature, a shy person and it felt natural for Aerith to take the lead in their relationship. Aerith was vivacious, so when she began flirting with Tifa it made her blush fiercely, only encouraging the flower girl more. They had been sharing an umbrella on the beach at Costa del Sol and an afternoon of flirting combined with Aerith’s swimsuit had Tifa constantly fidgeting with a lock of hair that seemed to always need to be brushed back behind her ear. It was after one of those nervous adjustments that Aerith had leaned in and kissed her for the first time, causing Tifa to let out a surprised gasp before hesitantly leaning back in for another. The first night they made love, up on the Golden Saucer, had definitely been Aerith taking the lead, needless to say, Tifa had never had sex with anyone before but Aerith’s hands and mouth had left her breathless and seeing stars before eagerly rolling over to try those very same things for Aerith. 

While it may have taken Tifa a little time to adjust to each new experience she could now confidently greet her girlfriend with a kiss, coyly flirt with her from behind the bar at 7th Heaven, and while Aerith remained the more dominant force in their bedroom, Tifa was not afraid to initiate things there either. 

But today Tifa would be the one to take things to another level in their relationship. And for all the weight that Tifa was used to lifting, whether that was in the gym or at the bar with those kegs of beer, the heaviest thing in the world seemed to be the ring hidden in her pocket. Thanks to all her nervous energy, Tifa had this evening meticulously planned out in her head, just waiting on the appearance of her girlfriend to set everything in motion. 

She brought her focus back to the present as she walked up to the doorway of the orphanage. Today, like many others, Aerith was volunteering here to help with all of the kids that had been left without parents following the destruction of Midgar and Tifa was there to pick her up at the end of the day. 

“Ms. Tifa’s here!” It had only taken a second for the first kid to spot her as she walked through the door and soon she had a pack of children gathered around her babbling for her attention.

“Hey, you.” The kids never stood a chance as Tifa looked up to see Aerith wading through the crowd to get to her. 

“Hey.” Tifa replied, unable to keep a smile off her face as Aerith reached her and Tifa was able to pull her into her arms and plant a kiss on her lips, sending all of the kids scattering with a shrieked “Ewwwwwwww!” causing Tifa and Aerith to part with a laugh as they turned to watch the fleeing kids, a number of them grabbing wooden buster swords and breaking out their best impressions of Cloud Strife. 

The stream of children returning to their previous activities parted around Ms. Folia as she walked up to the couple. 

“Hey Tifa, it’s good to see you,” Folia greeted her as she broke free of the kids.

“Hi Folia, how are things going here at the orphanage?” Tifa replied, keeping her arm looped around Aerith’s waist as they turned to speak with the woman who ran this chaotic little haven. 

“Busy as ever, but easier than it ever was back in Midgar.” came her usual reply before adding, “Do you have everything ready for tonight?”

Tifa shot her a look as she tried to keep her voice under control during her response, “Yeah, should be busy as ever at 7th Heaven tonight too.” 

“Great, well I look forward to it tonight!” was a cheery response from Folia as she was pulled away by one of the kids, waving over her shoulder.

Tifa quietly cursed the woman as she turned back to Aerith, Folia was going to give the whole thing away already, and the plan had just gotten started.

As she caught Aerith’s eye she couldn’t help but notice the quirked eyebrow that preceded her question, “Planning something for tonight?”

While Tifa could do a good job of playing cool while talking with Folia it was always much harder for her to not be flustered by Aerith. “N-not anything in particular,” was her stammered response as she felt her cheeks heat up in a blush. She cleared her throat as she tried to move on past the comment and try to get the plan back on track, “Hey, why don’t we take a walk to the garden before we head back home?” 

“Hmmmm, sure, but I’m keeping my eye on you.” Aerith said as she gave Tifa a soft boop on the nose before grabbing her hand and turning to pass through the door.

Tifa listened contentedly to Aerith’s stories of her day at the orphanage as they strolled the streets of Edge towards the garden that Aerith had been growing her flowers in.

Once they were safely in the garden Tifa felt herself calm immensely. It was just a place that was so intensely Aerith and being surrounded by the riot of colors from the blooms of the flowers and their delicate sweet scent untied the knot in her stomach. When they had built the garden they had been sure to add a bench in the center and that was their destination as they took their time on the paths through the garden. In Tifa’s opinion there was no better place to watch the dying light of a day than from the bench with her arms wrapped around Aerith, and feeling Aerith’s head resting on her shoulder. They claimed their usual seat and enjoyed the sunset for a while before Tifa pressed a soft kiss into Aerith’s hair and found her voice to begin speaking.

“Did you ever see us making it this far?” She seemed to ask out of the blue. While Tifa kept her voice calm she felt ice slip into her veins and her heartbeat began to speed back up again, she hoped that Aerith wouldn’t be able to feel it against her own body.

“To the bench? Of course, silly, where else would we have gone?” was Aerith’s smug reply, not even bothering to lift her head.

Tifa let out a soft puff of laughter before moving on. “Not just to the bench. But through it all. Corneo’s mansion, the collapse of Sector 7, returning to Hojo’s lab, chasing a mad man around the world, the… City.” Tifa can’t help but feel her throat close and her voice hitch as she gets to the end of her thought. As she did, Aerith finally picked her head up from Tifa’s shoulder and met her gaze calm and steady, the fact that she was able to look back into those emerald gems again helped ease the knot in Tifa’s throat.

“Yes,” Aerith begins her answer softly, “I knew that the Planet would send me people that would help me restore it.” Her tone abruptly shifted as she added, “It also helps that one of them is drop dead gorgeous and named Tifa Lockhart,” throwing a wink Tifa’s way at the end.

This, of course, caused Tifa’s cheeks to flush and she had to look away and brush a strand of hair behind her ear in order to regain her composure from her ever flirtatious girlfriend.

“Is that what you bought me out here for? To hold me in those strong arms of yours and talk about the past?” Aerith asked more gently, giving Tifa some time to recover. Aerith knew her girlfriend and loved to see that cute pink hue on her cheeks, but knew that she had to also give the poor girl some time to breathe.

“Ah no, what if I told you that I had other plans in mind?” came Tifa’s reply as she regained her composure.

Aerith just couldn’t let golden opportunities like this pass her up and she began to grin broadly. “My my, Tifa Lockhart, what else could you have in mind? Did you perhaps bring me out here to fool around?” She began to waggle her eyebrows as the blush grew even darker on Tifa’s cheeks. The stutter would come out now, Aerith just knew it.

“N-no!” Tifa squeaked out before she cleared her throat, took a deep breath and squared her shoulders as she released it. “I need to ask you a question.” she managed to say much more steadily. Tifa was closing into the moment of truth and this is always where she was able to most easily find her focus and her calm.  
“Ask away.” Aerith must have sensed this shift in nature in Tifa and matched it.

Tifa took another deep breath as she removed her arms from Aerith’s waist, digging her right hand into her pocket as she stood up off the bench, turned to face her girlfriend, and kelt on one knee.

“Aerith Gainsborough, will you marry me?” The words leapt from her mouth before she could lose her nerve. 

In that moment the world fell away. There was nothing anymore beyond her, the ring she held up towards Aerith, and the face of the woman she loved frozen in a perfectly surprised gape. For the first time since they met in Don Corneo’s mansion, it seemed Tifa managed to stun Aerith into silence.

That silence wouldn’t last long.

“YES! YesyesyesyesyesyesYES!” Aerith exclaimed as she all but leapt off the bench and threw her arms around Tifa’s neck, and peppered her fiance in kisses. 

As strong as Tifa was, she barely kept them both upright as she felt those kisses rain down on her cheeks, her nose, her forehead, and finally, a long and searing joining of their lips. 

They parted breathlessly and could only stay where they were while they gazed at each other in open wonder. Finally Tifa was able to regain some of her senses and stand the both of them upright again. 

Once they were on their own legs again Aerith finally held her hand forward so that Tifa could slip the ring onto her finger.

“Wow,” they both exhaled at the same time, lost in the same tide of overwhelming emotion before they looked at each other, deep in the eyes and leaned in for another sweet kiss to seal the occasion. 

“You sure know how to surprise a girl.” Aerith giggled as they broke apart again. 

“Well, there may be something at 7th Heaven I haven’t told you about tonight.” Tifa replied smiling confidently at her new fiance. Thinking of that word just made her smile even larger, she’d gotten through the nerve wracking part, this next bit would be a breeze. 

“Well I guess we better not keep everyone waiting then shall we.” Aerith beamed back at her, it seemed like the flower girl already knew what this surprise would be.

>>>>>>>>  
Raucous laughter washed over the couple as they walked into 7th Heaven. If anything could be said about the ragtag group that defeated Sephiroth and saved the world, they knew how to party. What is more, given Aerith’s and Tifa’s status in the community of Edge, most of the town was in the bar as well to help celebrate the engagement of everyone’s favorite bar owner and the only florist in town. 

As the door shut behind them every eye in the establishment turned to look at them. In response Aerith grabbed Tifa in a tight hug from the side and planted a big kiss on her cheek before lifting her left hand for the world to see the new addition to her ring finger. The bar exploded into cheers as Tifa blushed a deep red, only serving to inspire more cheers from the guests as they closed in on the couple to offer their heartfelt congratulations.

While Tifa and Aerith did their best to stay together for as much of the party as they could it was inevitable that different people would slowly drag them into separate conversations. It was now towards the end of the night and some people were beginning to pack it in. Tifa found herself in her most comfortable spot, right behind the bar, leaning on the polished wood as she distractedly spoke with Folia, from the orphanage, all while her eyes remained on Aerith who was in a conspiratorial conversation with Yuffie, something that would make any prudent person nervous. 

“It’s too bad Cloud couldn’t be here tonight.” Folia said to the woman in front of her. That snapped Tifa’s attention onto the woman on the other side of the bar from her.

“Yeah, it really is,” Tifa smiled wistfully as she reflected on her absent friend. Even more so when Folia began to delve into some of the stories of Cloud and kids from the orphanage. As Tifa listened, she made a silent promise to herself, her best friend would be there to see her get married. 

>>>>>>>>

Days began to pass in a flash as Tifa and Aerith lost themselves in the planning of their wedding. There was just so much to do, dresses to buy, a party to plan, bouquets to arrange and one wayward friend that needed tracking down.

Cid sitting at the bar of 7th Heaven with a cigarette held between his fingers while he downed drinks and chatted with his friend, the owner of the establishment, was nothing new. This request on the other hand… that was something interesting.

“Look, Cid, I know he hasn’t been seen in years but the Highwind is the only thing fast enough to track him down and bring him back here in time for the wedding.” Tifa pleaded with the airship captain as he downed his latest drink. He should have known it was too good to be true when he had walked in and Tifa had told him the drinks were on the house tonight. 

Cid sighed as he lowered the glass, he just couldn’t say no to a friend like this. “Fine, fine, I’ll do it, but what if he doesn’t want to come?” He asked pointedly. 

It was a fair question. After they had defeated Sephiroth, Cloud had been too shocked to even speak. The revelations that had been made on their journey proved too much for the SOLDIER to process, at least in that moment. And it turned out in any of the time that passed after their victory. While he had come to Edge for a little while with Barret, Tifa, and Aerith, the town never set right with him. He just couldn’t stay in one place it seemed. So one day, he left. Leaving a note behind for Tifa to find at 7th Heaven asking her not to round everyone up and chase after him. He decided that he needed to find out who he truly was and couldn’t trust anymore what was the real Cloud Strife, what was Zack Fair, what was Sephiroth, and what was a lie created by Hojo and Shinra. 

Tifa had abided by his wishes. She had enough here in Edge for her. Aerith, who she was now marrying, a new 7th Heaven to run, and Barret and Marlene to look after. But now she needed to stop abiding by those wishes. She was getting married and she needed her best friend to be here with her for it. 

“Then you’ll have done all I can ask you to, Cid. That’s his decision to make.” Tifa was confident her friend would come through when she needed him to, he had promised after all. But if Cloud’s soul searching had transformed him that much, then she would honestly prefer a different venue for that reunion than what promised to be the happiest day of her and Aerith’s lives. But she had to try. “Just give him this letter and tell him what’s happening, he’ll be here, I know it.” she said to Cid as she slid an envelope across the bar to the pilot.

“Ok,” Cid smiled at the bartender’s confidence, “how about one more for the road though?” he asked hopefully and wiggled his glass off the bar.

“Fine, but only because you’re doing me this favor.” Tifa replied as she turned her attention behind the bar, preparing one last drink for her friend.

>>>>>>>>>

_Cloud,_

__

_It’s been a while since the last time we talked. Years even, since you went and disappeared, but I guess that’s not unusual for us Nibelheim kids huh?_

__

_Ms. Folia, from the orphanage asked about you a couple of days ago and I didn’t really know what to tell her. I hope you really are finding yourself and not just growing more bitter at the world. She said that the kids still talk about you all the time, you’re their favorite story. It’s funny to look back to when we were kids and we ran around playing SOLDIER, just like them. I wonder if part of your journey has taken you back to Nibelheim. I know I can’t make myself go, too many painful memories. But there are some good ones too, all those nights looking at stars from the water tower, you fidgeting while I played piano, the hot days in the summer and the snow in the winter, things we just never saw in Midgar._

__

_I have some news to tell you. Aerith and I are getting married! I was so nervous when I asked her, my hands were shaking and everything. We had a party afterwards at 7th Heaven, we missed you there. That’s really why I’m writing you this letter. If I’m going to get married then I need my best friend there with me. That’s you, if you didn’t get it. No matter what happened when we were travelling and fighting, you’re still my oldest friend. Aerith prays for you every day, just so you know, sometimes I even join her, just hoping that my best friend can find peace and come back to see me._

__

_I don’t know what scares you more, the goodbyes we had to say to each other, or the new hellos we may have to face. But I just know that if you keep running, you’re bound to trip eventually, and when that happens I’m here for you, we all are._

__

_So, if you ever decide to bring your pain and your pride back to this side of the city I’ll leave the light on for you, just so you can find your way home._

__

_But be quick about it Cloud, after all, this is your cordial invitation to the wedding of Tifa Lockhart and Aerith Gainsborough. Don’t be late._

__

_You’re best friend,_

__

_Tifa._

Cloud folded the letter gently before looking up at Cid. 

“Well, I guess we better get going then.”

**Author's Note:**

> The core of the story, especially the letter is the song "Oklahoma City" by Zach Bryan, check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wJ246eDOkU&ab_channel=ZachBryan. Comments are always welcome.


End file.
